1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical cable connectors. More particularly, the invention relates to a coupling nut for a coaxial cable connector that has a jacket retention capability.
2. Description of Related Art
Coaxial cable connectors are used, for example, in communication systems requiring a high level of precision and reliability.
To create a secure mechanical and optimized electrical interconnection between the cable and the connector, it is desirable to have generally uniform, circumferential contact between a leading edge of the coaxial cable outer conductor and the connector body. A flared end of the outer conductor may be clamped against an annular wedge surface of the connector body, via a coupling nut. Representative of this technology is U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,188 issued Aug. 18, 1998 to Harwath, also owned by applicant, CommScope, Inc. of North Carolina.
The coupling nut may be provided with an extended body to align and support the cable coaxially within the coupling nut bore and also to provide space for an environmental seal between the coupling nut and the outer jacket of the coaxial cable. The coupling nut may be shortened to minimize connector weight and materials costs. When the coupling nut is shortened, alignment with and retention to the coaxial cable becomes increasingly important.
Prior shortened coupling nuts have applied an internal thread that engages and retains the cable jacket during connector assembly. The quality of retention between the coupling nut and the cable jacket is dependent upon the tolerances of the cable outer conductor and jacket. The threads rotationally interlock the coupling nut with the cable and consume a large longitudinal portion of the coupling nut, reducing the space available for an environmental seal between the coupling nut and the jacket. Representative of this technology is U.S. Pat. No. 7,335,059 issued Feb. 26, 2008 to Vaccaro, also owned by applicant, CommScope, Inc. of North Carolina.
Competition in the coaxial cable connector market has focused attention on improving electrical performance and minimization of overall costs, including materials costs, training requirements for installation personnel, reduction of dedicated installation tooling and the total number of required installation steps and or operations.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a coupling nut that overcomes deficiencies in the prior art.